Rights of Indigenous peoples

Rights of Indigenous peoples

The rights of indigenous peoples rank highly among the priorities of the EU's action to advance democracy and human rights. The goals are to assert indigenous peoples’ rights and boost their capacity to control their own social, economic and cultural development, while enhancing territorial rights as well as capabilities for sustainable management of biological resources.

The UN estimates that there are around 370 million people that define themselves as indigenous living in more than 70 countries – predominantly in the developing world, but also in the Arctic. Indigenous peoples are often among the poorest and most marginalised groups in society and face human rights violations and abuses. These include the dispossession of their lands and ressources and forced displacements.

The EU is convinced that the rights-based approach to development, encompassing all human rights should be the main vehicle in external action for integrating the support to indigenous peoples in the EU's implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The EU is also funding projects worldwide, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Projects are run by international organisations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and by civil society organisations.

The objectives pursued by the programme are to: i) continue to strengthen governance in support of Myanmar/Burma's democratic transition processes and reform agenda, with EU support specifically focusing on institutional strengthening and policy dialogue, and support to elections, and ii) controbute to lasting peace, security, stability and sustainable development in Myanmar/Burma.